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{
    "id": 304390,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/304390/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 457,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Githae",
    "speaker_title": "The Minister for Finance",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 159,
        "legal_name": "Robinson Njeru Githae",
        "slug": "robinson-githae"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I also rise to support this very important Bill. In doing so, we must recall that 2002 is when we had real change of power, administration and Government. That is the first time that we had real change of power and Government. There are four people that we need to commend because they were able to oversee the handover ceremony peacefully although this Bill was not in existence. The first person I would like to commend is hon. Uhuru Kenyatta because he did not even wait for all the votes to be counted because that is what the law required. The law requires that all the presidential votes must be counted and received by the Returning Officer who is the Chairman of the Electoral Commission. When he saw the way Kenyans were excited and the country was heavy with anticipation, on his volition, he went to the Serena Hotel and issued a statement conceding defeat. So, we are grateful for that and that is why I think we had a very peaceful handover. The other person we need to commend is the then Permanent Secretary, Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of the Public Service, Dr. Sally Kosgei who, even without this Bill crafted some team to oversee the ceremony. So, we are also grateful to her for that historical role that she played. We must also not forget the retired former President, Daniel arap Moi that he did not resist the change. It must also be recalled that even when he said that he would hand over peacefully, most people did not believe. However, when I saw him a month before being bid farewell by the Armed Forces as the Commander-in- Chief, that is when I believed that he was determined to hand over power peacefully. So, we must also be grateful to him. There was the Attorney-General who gave an opinion that it was important for the former President to give confidence to the country that he would hand over power. The reason I am supporting this Bill is because we are now institutionalizing our Government. It is not based on Dr. Sally Kosgei as an individual. I am giving an example. We are now institutionalizing the governance of this country and that, to me, is the most important thing. The other thing why it is important to have this Bill, and this is the point I have been making wherever I have gone, particularly to the investors, is that they should not wait to make financial decisions because of elections. Elections come and go. The country will remain; the people will remain and institutions will remain. As the Minister for Finance, I am happy that this message is sinking to the investors and they are making decisions. A number of world corporations are coming to this country and putting up their headquarters in Nairobi. For the first time, foreign direct investment is going up in an election year. I was just looking at the graphs of the previous elections and three months towards an election, direct foreign investment would dwindle to almost nil but for the first time, direct foreign investment is going up. That is a mark of confidence that investors are showing to this country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I will stop there because there are many hon. Members who want to contribute and say that I support this Bill."
}